


out like a light

by llien



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Set in San Fransokyo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21854095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llien/pseuds/llien
Summary: Seeing that dark shape of Riku in a city bathed in lights brings up old hurts and memories, but luckily for Sora, his best friend is just a phone call away.Or, the one where Riku keeps accidentally spilling his love all over the place and Sorastilldoesn't get it.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 368





	out like a light

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully I can write the next chapter/sequel where Sora inadvertently proves Riku right and manages to befriend and bring dark!Riku back to their side because lets face it, all Riku wants is Sora beside him.
> 
> Also, I'm terribly sorry about how fluffy this is. Don't look at me

Laying in an actual honest-to-goodness bed made Sora stretch and sigh in contentment, sinking deep into the mattress. San Fransokyo’s modernity meant Sora didn’t  _ have  _ to stay the night in the gummiship, and what with a definitive battle waiting for him tomorrow, it didn’t take too much convincing for Donald to let Sora rent a hotel room. 

Hiro and all his friends had each offered their own place, especially Fred who claimed one room being used wouldn’t even be noticed, but Sora declined it for the chance to experience what staying on his own would feel like. When he’d been younger and they’d stayed nights in Traverse Town — still a growing boy, Goofy had said, he’ll whine he’s sleepy, Donald had said, all reasons to give a boy still wet behind the ears a good night’s rest — they’d still shared a room. This time, he’d stamped his foot down and insisted he have his own, and he wasn’t regretting it.

For all that he loved his friends and everyone he met, having just a single minute alone was becoming startlingly precious.

Especially when he had to make a phone call.

With a groan, Sora rolled onto his stomach, grabbing a pillow to ram under his chin so he wouldn’t have to expend any energy keeping his head up. There was only the one lamp on, and even though it was night time, the lights of the city still twinkled in his window. It didn’t bother him and he was pretty sure he’d eventually fall asleep, light or no light. In fact, moreso now than he did on the islands, Sora liked going to sleep with a view of the stars.

He twisted and pulled at the crisp sheets until they were wrapped all around him, tucked in, and even made a pretend shawl over his head. Then, he grabbed his phone.

Riku answered three rings later.

“Sora?” He seemed sleepy, covering a yawn but alert as he quickly examined Sora. Finding him apparently safe, Riku relaxed, and beyond his tense shoulders Sora could see something clinical… Radiant Garden, still? “Is everything okay?”

He sounded so worried. Sora couldn’t help snuffling a laugh as he got more comfortable. “I’m fine, I just wanted to talk to you.”

Riku seemed to melt, eyes creasing in the corners as he smiled. “You only hide like that when something’s bothering you,” Riku pointed out instead. 

Sora pouted. “And how do you know  _ that?” _

“Oh, I don’t know. I think when you failed that one quiz and got mad I did better.”

“...you knew about that?”

“Of course,” Riku sighed, rubbing at his head and then frowning when it left his hair a mess. He combed it back thoughtlessly. “Wasn’t hard to tell.”

Sora fidgeted until the phone was resting against the headboard, crossing his arms under his chin. Of course Riku had known. Sometimes, it felt like Riku knew him better than he knew himself. “Of course,” he repeated instead, and Riku frowned.

“What’s wrong? It’s not like you to be down about something like that.” There was a moment of noise as Riku moved, sitting up against a nearby wall. Sora could just barely see the fabric of Riku’s sleep pants as he rested the arm holding his phone on his knee. Riku didn’t seem concerned about anyone around him — he had a curious habit of constantly looking at others when he wasn’t alone in a room — but Sora still hesitated, afraid to tell anyone but Riku. “It’s just me,” Riku added, and Sora laughed at how easily read he was.

“Stop reading my mind,” Sora said, even though he was already grinning.

Riku was grinning back, “Can’t help it. It’s written all over your face.”

“My face doesn’t say anything at all,” Sora retorted, just being contrary and for something to say as he thought. His room was… silent. There was no other sound save the air conditioning and whatever noise Sora made, and he wasn’t used to it being so quiet. He wiggled around just so the ironed sheets would crinkle. “I saw you today,” Sora admitted.

Riku’s brows dipped down in a confused squiggle. Pressing his lips together, he settled for a curious, “What?”

That he didn’t immediately laugh at Sora eased some sore wound he’d long since chosen to ignore, but it felt like menthol on a sunburn, and Sora hated the way he teared up despite himself. Biting back on his teeth, the tears easily went back to wherever they hid when Sora ignored the way others made fun of him. Compartmentalizing seemed to be his forte, after all. “Yeah,” Sora groaned. “Honestly, I… I was kinda worried you wouldn’t pick up.”

He wanted to be with Riku, Sora realized. It was an aching loneliness, beginning in his soles and stinging in his fingertips. He wanted to be hugged by him, reassured by him. He wanted to bury his nose into Riku’s shoulder and feel safe, knowing Riku’s heart was right next to his. 

“Sora,” Riku murmured, the cadences of his voice warm and gentle. It made Sora remember a time when he’d been frustrated at his own stupidity, at another dumb test with another dumb grade, and how Riku how thumbed his cheek even though Sora hadn’t cried.  _ It’s okay,  _ Riku had said then, hand coming up to rifle through Sora’s hair. “You know I’ll always be here for you, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Sora said, voice embarrassingly watery as he tried to dash the memory and loneliness away. 

“Tell me what happened,” Riku said, after giving Sora a moment to compose himself. It wasn’t even that big a deal, Sora didn’t know why he was so bothered. 

“They’re using you again,” Sora whispered, and Riku looked, for just a moment, stricken. “It was you from before, with Ansem. Wearing one of the coats,” he added. “Just as mean as before.”

His attempt at lighthearted humor didn’t seem to reach Riku, who just looked sad. “Again, huh?” He whispered instead.

“Yeah,” Sora bit at his lip. “It’s okay though. I know you’re safe and not here, and well… I can still try and help him.”

Riku blinked, and then laughed in open, easy surprise. Sora puffed his cheeks out, feeling mocked. “Of course you’d say that!” Riku blurted, still laughing. He was almost  _ giggling.  _ “I’d say don’t, but if I know anything about myself it’s that he’s probably  _ dying  _ for you to help him.”

Then he pulled up short, coloring, and it was Sora’s turn to laugh. “Oh yeah?” Sora said, grinning, his own cheeks warming, and Riku pinkened even more, an adorable blush.

“Shut up,” he grumbled. “Go charm another version of me again.”

_ “Again?” _ Sora said incredulously, immensely delighted, and Riku looked like he wanted to die.

“Don’t act as if you’re surprised,” Riku hissed, and Sora rolled around, beside himself laughing. 

“Alright Mr. High-and-Mighty,” Sora said, when Riku looked fit to burst. “What should I say to this new sad you who’s really mean, by the way, do you know that?”

Riku rolled his eyes. “Maybe somebody’s just being a baby about it.”

“Don’t avoid the question,” Sora said, wishing he was there so he could poke Riku like he normally would.

Riku sighed, and seemed as if his entire body deflated. “What the me from then would’ve wanted to hear the most…” he trailed off in thought, looking in the distance. When he met Sora’s eyes, there was an intense light to them, green almost glowing in whatever dim lightning was around Riku. Sora held his breath, a hand snaking the shawl of cover tighter under his chin. Riku’s intensity died down to something more like a simmer, or embers still bright red but no longer burning, and he gave Sora a lopsided smile. “Just be his friend,” Riku said, and Sora knew he was hiding something, it was so obvious, but  _ what—  _ “That’s all he wants.”

“I am his friend,” Sora said instantly, then, slower, “I’m  _ your  _ friend.”

“And I’m yours,” Riku replied warmly, but with a smirk added, “you sap.”

Sora groaned, rolling onto his side and dragging the phone with him. He pulled the covers over him, resting the gummiphone in front of his face. Even though he’d been alone the entire conversation, somehow hiding under the covers brought another wave of intimacy he couldn’t reason, but that he wasn’t going to chase away. His stomach erupted into nervous butterflies, and he caressed the side of his phone, admiring Riku. 

“You’d love it here,” Sora said suddenly, thinking of the awe he’d see on Riku’s face when Sora brought him to San Fransokyo. Someday, sometime hopefully soon, he could turn that into reality.

“Oh yeah?” Riku shifted to get more comfortable, bringing the phone closer to his face.

“Mm-hm,” Sora said. “When I bring you here you’ve  _ got  _ to try the food, it’s soooo good.”

Riku flushed again, entire demeanor brightening. “When?” He said, voice lifting.

Sora didn’t know why Riku pointing it out embarrassed him, but even as he felt his face grow warm he nodded. “When.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Riku said shyly, and Sora couldn’t speak around the way his heart beat furiously.

Sora yawned suddenly, and Riku mimicked him, and they both snorted. Curling in tighter in his cocoon, Sora whispered, “Hey, do you remember our sleepovers?”

“Duh,” Riku said, rolling his eyes. “Can’t forget every single weekend of our lives.” Sora snickered.  _ “Or  _ the way you always fell asleep so early every single time.”

“I did not!”

“Did too!”

“Not my fault you liked staying up,” Sora grumbled, and Riku did  _ that  _ laugh, the one where he sounded like Sora had surprised it out of him, inelegant and starting with a  _ pfft.  _ “What did you do?” Sora asked curiously. “When I fell asleep early?”

Riku blinked, laughter dying down, and he colored again, looking somewhere to the left of Sora. “Uhh, games, mostly. Sometimes reading. You talked in your sleep, you know,” Riku teased, and Sora rolled his eyes. Sora had always talked in his sleep, and Riku would repeat the funnier sentences back to him in the morning. “I wonder if you still do,” Riku mused.

“Definitely,” Sora muttered. “Donald won’t stop complaining about it.”

“Wish I could hear it,” Riku continued fondly, and Sora was talking before he’d realized it.

“You could,” he blurted, then, anxiously avoiding Riku’s eyes, continued nervously, “I mean, we have the gummiphones you know? We could just… keep the call going.”

“What, you wanna watch me sleep?” Riku said, and Sora scowled, unable to read the odd tone in his voice when he wouldn’t look at Riku’s face.

“That’s  _ my  _ line!” Sora said, “You’re the one who always falls asleep first!”

“Okay,” Riku said easily, and Sora’s gaze darted towards him in shock. He was definitely pink in the face again, steadily darkening into a rosier hue, but he seemed amused. “We’ll see who fall asleep first.”

Sora’s heart raced, knowing it was a ploy, an out for them both to not acknowledge the implications of what Sora had first said, but if Riku wasn’t going to call him out for it then neither was Sora. “You’re on,” Sora said, heart pounding in his ears. At this rate, he’d  _ never _ fall asleep.

Riku gave him a funny grin, moving to lay down like Sora. He even pulled his cover over his head too, and like this it almost felt like they really were beside each other. “Count sheep,” Riku whispered mischievously, and Sora snorted.

“More like Tama Sheep.”

“One Tama Sheep,” Riku said instantly, and Sora guffawed, turning his face into the pillow to muffle it lest Donald and Goofy scold him for staying up late.

“Two Tama Sheep,” Sora managed.

“Three Tama Sheep,” Riku said faster, and then they were racing to count higher, stumbling over the ends of each other’s sentences and falling into laughter when one of them hadn’t even finished the last syllable before the other started. They grew into a crescendo so fast the words sounded intelligible, and then Riku slowed it back down. Bit by bit, rolling note by note as their voices fell into matching rhythms, and Sora’s heart was growing in his chest, something curling tight that whispered  _ Riku wouldn’t do this for anyone else. _

On Sora’s second yawn, Riku took over for him. By his fifth, Riku was the only one counting, and by the time Sora could barely keep his eyes open, Riku’s voice had quieted into barely a murmur. 

“So many Tama Sheep,” Sora whispered deliriously, just to hear that laugh from him again. It worked like a charm, and the sound of Riku chuckling surrounding Sora in a warm bubble, or maybe more like a blanket.

Riku stopped counting, and for a long moment there was just the dead air of a not quite silent phone call. Sora’s eyes were fully closed. 

“Are you asleep?” Riku whispered.

“Mm-mm,” Sora said.

“Go to sleep, dummy.”

“You first,” Sora managed, face half buried in his pillow.

“I  _ am  _ asleep,” Riku said, obviously grinning just by his voice alone.

“Liar!” Sora grumbled, “Can’t fool me.”

“Then, just for you, I’ll go sleep first.”

“Good,” Sora was really already asleep, just barely clinging to Riku’s words.

“Good night Sora.”

“‘Night,” Sora whispered, and even though he was aware the call hadn’t ended, that Riku didn’t really sound tired at all, that there was a steady gaze on him as he drifted off, he didn’t really have the urge to call Riku out. Instead, he pretended like Riku really had fallen asleep already, and slipped into dreams of sheep and his best friend. 


End file.
